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Upcoming Kingsman prequel The King\u2019s Man<\/a> boasts a stellar cast of British actors \u2013 with Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, and Charles Dance among those to star in the ensemble.<\/p>\n But the most fun role is reserved for Rhys Ifans, who turns in an extremely flamboyant performance as notorious Russian monk Grigori Rasputin \u2013 with the Welsh actor playing him almost like a supervillain.<\/p>\n In one memorable action set-piece during the film\u2019s middle portion, Ifans gets the rare opportunity to mix sword fighting with Cossack dancing, and in an exclusive interview with RadioTimes.com<\/a>, he explained how much he enjoyed the experience.<\/p>\n \u201cWell it was incredible, because I\u2019d never done any kind of action sequence,\u201d he said. \u201cYou know, I\u2019ve done the odd stunt here and there on set, but nothing like this \u2013 an extended fight with swords and everything to hand. It was deliciously excessive!\u201d<\/p> He explained that part of the reason the experience was so rewarding was the lengthy preparation process required, and went on to pay tribute to \u201cgenius\u201d action choreographer Brad Allan, who passed away aged 48 in August this year.<\/p>\n \u201cI went into training, physical training, three months before we saw the camera,\u201d he explained. \u201cAnd then of course training with the stunt team, of which there were many, helmed by the genius Brad Allan, who sadly passed away last year. His team was just phenomenal.<\/p>\n \u201cSo it was a discipline all of itself, which I had no experience of. It was fascinating and really kind of life-affirming actually, getting so healthy \u2013 I\u2019d never been that fit. And then to take it from me crawling asthmatically across a gym floor to watching this finished piece in the cinema, I haven\u2019t experienced that kind of arc before. So it was really pleasing.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201cI\u2019m not very good at watching myself generally. But you know, I was kind of impressed by that particular sequence and I was impressed because I knew the workforce involved in creating that five or six-minute work of excitement.\u201d<\/p>\n The King\u2019s Man is released in UK cinemas on Sunday 26th December 2021. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0or visit our\u00a0Film<\/a>\u00a0hub for all the latest news and features.<\/strong><\/p>\n